“Dissociation can be defined as disruptions in aspects of consciousness, identity, memory, physical actions and/or the environment.” –Healthy Place

Dissociation in military and veterans is an issue that doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves yet explains a lot of things. Dissociation tends to occur mostly with those who have complex Post Traumatic Stress. It is also referred to as blacking out.

ID Go: Two young couples in an Idaho apartment building walk on eggshells around a neighbor who can’t stand the one couple’s music and the other’s dog. Tensions keep rising between all parties until finally hell breaks loose and a violent rampage erupts. -Night of the Machete, Fear Thy Neighbor (S3, E10)

“Thomas Twain, an Idaho man with a machete, kicked down the door of home of Kaila Gearhart and James Cvengros and attempted to attack the couple. Upon hearing the shocking sounds of the door coming off its hinges, Cvengros ran the front room, screamed at Twain to leave, and ultimately shot the intruder.

The Idaho machete attacker survived the gunshot wound, and faces up to 15 years in prison for the home invasion. Idaho prosecutors claimed that Thomas Twain’s years of military service meant that he was a danger to the public.”

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On December 16, 2014, Bradley William Stone, a US Marine Corps veteran, killed his wife and five of his in-laws at three different locations throughout Montgomery County in Pennsylvania. After killing them he went on the run and it would be two days before he was found dead in the woods of an apparent suicide. He died from self inflicted knife wounds. The community breathed a sigh of relief after learning that he could no longer harm anyone else.

Patricia Flick, 36: An autopsy conducted found that she suffered gunshot wounds to her right forearm and to her face and a gaping “chop” wound to her head. The coroner determined the cause of death to be gunshot wounds to the arm and head.Aaron Flick, 39: An autopsy found he suffered gunshot wounds to his right hand and his head and “chopping” wounds to his arm and his head, all of which caused his death.Nina Flick, 14: An autopsy found she suffered 12 “chop” wounds to her head, which proved fatal, and one “chop” wound to the back of her neck.Joanne Gilbert, 57: An autopsy found she suffered a gunshot wound to the face and her throat had been slashed; both wounds contributed to her death.Patricia Hill, 75: An autopsy found she suffered a cutting wound to her left forearm and, the fatal wound, a gunshot wound near her right eye.Nicole Hill Stone, 33: An autopsy found she suffered a gunshot wound to her hand and two gunshot wounds to her head. The coroner determined the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.

Stephanie Schroeder is a retired United States Marine Corps veteran who was wrongfully discharged from service after reporting a felony crime to USMC authorities. As a result of reporting these crimes, she experienced retaliation from her peers and leadership and was subsequently given a honorable discharge but her DD 214 indicated that she was released from duty due to a personality disorder. Stephanie sought justice to right a wrong committed by her leadership. She was never given any testing to determine if she in fact had a personality disorder nor did she see any medical personnel who would have had an opportunity to diagnose her with a personality disorder. Through research and determination, Stephanie learned that other veterans who had reported sexual assault in the military had also experienced retaliation in one form or another after reporting the crime(s) to leadership. She vowed to not only fight for herself and the correction of her records but also to help prevent other service members from experiencing the same.

Stephanie Schroeder has been leading the way on military retaliation & personality disorder discharge reform for years. She participated in two federal lawsuits (Cioca v Rumsfeld & Klay v Panetta) that were dismissed because rape is incident to service. She advocates for both the Stop Act (Sexual Assault Training, Oversight, and Prevention Act) sponsored by Representative Jackie Speier and the Military Justice Improvement Act sponsored by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. She represented victims of military sexual assault at the United Nations at the Geneva Conventions in Switzerland. She continues to represent Cornell University, Service Women’s Action Network, & Equality Now as an advocate before the United Nations and monitors/advises on sexual assault & retaliation policy implementation in the military. She is a board member for the United States Human Rights Network (USHRN) and the International Mechanisms Coordinating Committee Board (ICMM).